Guest Post from Farnoosh Brock of Prolific Living. Farnoosh has an awesome 6 week course starting Feb 20th to help you create a smart exit strategy from your job. Check it out at the end of the post!
How Do You Know When to Call it Quits: On Your job and Other Distractions from Your Purpose
I look back and wonder exactly when I tipped the scales, from being tolerant of my job to refusing to give another hour of service to a company that I no longer believed in (and I promise to tell you the answer in a minute).
There are so many intricacies to every relationship and the relationship you have with your job is no different. There are good days and there are bad days and so long as there is love and mutual respect and understanding, you willingly stay.
But when love has taken leave and your heart is longing to fulfill its multiple passions, when you count the hours until you are away from your workplace, and when you simply dread the thought of going into work, it is high time to think about quitting with grace and smarts.
Every relationship comes to an end.
If we are lucky, we take some of them all the way to our dying day but that’s highly unlikely with most of them.
And when the relationship with your job comes to an end, instead of holding on to it, overstaying your welcome and destroying every excitement you held about work, you need to exit gracefully, holding your head up high as you move on to the next fabulous adventure of your life.
Yet, the resistance surrounding this ideal scenario I just painted is not uncommon.
- First, there is the fear of leaving a “secure” job, except that nothing is secure and realistically, a job is far less secure than holding your future in your own hands.
- Second, the fear of the unknown and the uncertainty ahead but honestly, there is uncertainty in every single day and hour of our life and yet somehow, the idea of employment manages to magically mask that on large scales. Trust me, you are not safe from uncertainty by holding on to a job.
- Third, the terrifying idea of change – change of schedule and people and routine and environment, combined with anxieties of not knowing how to cope with said change.
But you are a human being.
You were made to be fierce and strong and survive in the wild.
Your ancestors fought tigers and lions and hunted for food in the jungles. Surely, you can arm yourself with courage enough to go out there in this modern world full of possibility and demand of yourself to bring your passions to life and build profits around them.
Your passions can be anything – it may very well be to become a corporate star or a Fortune 100 CEO or it may be to have a fabulous family and raise stand-up citizens that will change the course of history.
Whatever lies at the core of your heart is your passion and there is a way to turn that into an income and a profit if you choose to believe so.
You have an obligation to give yourself a chance, a true chance at happiness because no one in this world will do that for you and how could they?
No one knows you as well as you know yourself.
You owe it to yourself to pursue your passions at least once and to do something that you believe in at least once, before giving up on life and resigning to status quo. You deserve as much of a chance as your own role models and heroes that live the kind of lifestyle that speaks to you.
And you owe it to yourself to see that potential through and really push yourself to reach the dreams that you have secretly been nurturing.
One thing is for certain: you cannot do any of this when you stay in a place that is not aligned to your dreams, your values and your purpose. So have a little faith and a lot of courage. Believe in your ability to make smart decisions.
Start with creating a smart exit plan out of that place to one where you can truly thrive and prosper and where your gifts can really shine.
I have put together a 6-week step-by-step course to help you build a smart exit strategy out of the wrong job and into the right path (affiliate link).
When I was making my way out of Corporate America, no such resource was available to help me think through the practical steps of making a professional transition. No one could tell me the how of leaving. It took me weeks to put together a plan that made sense.
What I learned plus 4 months of research since then have turned into a massive course that prepares any of you going through this difficult transition. It will arm you with everything you need to make a professional move from the wrong job into the right place!
As to what tipped the scale for me, it was not the extreme boredom, or the awareness that I was in the wrong job or even the money as a means for survival.
It was the fact that I was in too much pain doing what went so against my values and my heart.
I could no longer stand another hour wasting my limited time and energy in this world. Pain, then, not boredom, tipped the scales for me and I gave up everything to build my own company and have not looked back once.
My word of caution: Don’t wait quite that long! Build your smart exit blueprint today.
So here’s my question to you, dear reader – how did YOU know it was time to quit your job and what made you finally do it? Any advice for those seeking a career change? Thanks for sharing!
Farnoosh Brock left a 12-year career at a Fortune 100 company for her pursuits in writing, coaching, blogging and building her company. She talks about smart habits for rich living with a focus on helping people create a smart exit strategy out of the wrong job to their true path. Grab the free 14 weekly power career tips & uncensored corporate escape advice here.
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About Tia & Your Life YOUR Way:
Life Coach / Awesomeness Inciter + Inner Sparkle Activator Tia Sparkles offers tips, advice, community hug-a-thons to ignite your Inner Sparkle — that shimmery part of your spirit that says YES to courage + connection, and NO WAY to ‘shoulds’ + restrictions.
She loves Nutella, New Zealand, Yoda, & Sparkles.
THANK YOU so much for featuring me here today, Tia! It’s wonderful to talk to your readers and to spread both our passions on insisting that we find and do work that we love, regardless of all else in life :)!
Well, hell yeah Miss Freedom Specialist! Is there any other way ;)?
BRILLIANT post! This part really stood out to me: “You owe it to yourself to pursue your passions at least once and to do something that you believe in at least once, before giving up on life and resigning to status quo.” What a statement – so, so true! We do deserve happiness, we do owe it to ourselves to chase those dreams + seek out the things that fill us up. Thank you so much for the reminder Farnoosh!
Oh & Tia, I linked to your FABULOUS post on quotes for sassy, kick-ass women in my post on quotes today on the blog. Thank you for your constant inspiration xx
Hello dear Rach, thank you so so much! I am delighted that it inspired you and reminded you of something that believe me, I used to forget myself. You are *most* welcome!
Tia of course rocks. No doubt about it.
Thanks for the link Rach, that’s swell of you! It’s my honour to be a source of inspiration 🙂 Glad you liked Farnoosh’s post, it’s a real inspiration for anyone who’s ready to change!
Brilliant as always, Farnoosh!
Too sweet, Anne-Sophie. Thank you honey!
Hi Farnoosh,
Well i read your post a bit late by this time I have already resigned from a job that i joined in 2010. I always wanted to be an entrepreneur & was gaining experience to make that shift from employed to self-employed one day. In my current job it had all the traits that made me make that tough decision & also the support of my wife, friends & family too.
I joined this company thinking it will help me become a good salesperson (which is a crucial element for business) but it happened the total reverse. My manager made my life hell instead of nurturing me & polishing my skills, there were no traits of team work which i believe is a must wanted quality in every team to thrive, there was selfishness & negativity all around & all the members in my team were frustrated. I used to hear from everyone that they would be quitting soon but a year passed & no one actually quit which was an eye-opener for me. It took a toll on me, i started lying to them, not reporting to office, i took a lot of leaves coz i was trying to find myself that i knew since so many years. That is where i took a decision to only pursue what i wanted to do passionately i.e. Business. I decided to actively pursue business prospects both within the family & outside. That is where my dad’s business expanded & it opened a big opportunity for me.
I am now happy to say that i will be joining my dad’s business in the month of march & i am super excited about it.
After reading your post i felt it is very important to do what you love & what you want to passionately pursue. Also taking the first step is very important. If you are not happy or enjoying in your job its very important to take a decision, not for anyone else but for the person & the soul inside you. You can fool everyone but not your soul. Life is not fool-proof, you are bound to make mistakes but that is where the learning is. I dont know whether i will be successful in my dad’s business or not but I am sure I am happy from within & I will give it my best shot & continue come what may!!!!
Hope my experience helps!!!!!!
Cheers,
Mihir D Gandhi
Dear Mihir, THANK YOU for sharing your thoughts and your story in such an open, honest way. I loved reading it and I know what a tremendously difficult step you took, but bravo indeed for honoring your true desires to live a life where you don’t ignore what you want to do. It is not easy at all and I knew many people at my job who only talked about leaving and doing something important with their lives. Talk is cheap. Right?
I believe your wife and family will come around and support you soon. And to go into your father’s business is brilliant. You ARE already successful to me. Stay motivated and I wish you well – and hey, maybe share this with some of those colleagues that might still need a little nudge? 😉
Sure 🙂 thanks
Wow, wow, wow Mihir! I remember when I first got your email and how by the time I replied you had already taken that brave step! You’re a a courageous inspiration to those who are allowing themselves to drag on our of fear.
LOVED this “You can fool everyone but not your soul. Life is not fool-proof, you are bound to make mistakes but that is where the learning is.”
So happy for you, do your best and leave the rest. Here’s to entrepreneurship 🙂 Rock on!
I loved your article. I often see my friends or relatives still continuing their job even when they are not happy at the job. I guess I should share this with them. That should benefit them a lot.
Thank you so much for such a wonderful post.
-Roger
Hi Roger! Glad you liked it and yes please do share it with anyone you feel needs to read it! Farnoosh did a great job ay 🙂 Cheers! Tia
This is an awesome post. I am absolutely in the transition of doing this myself. In fact I put way more hours a week doing what I love than working at my job. I can’t quit though until I see some sort of return. Patience is a virtue I guess.
Melissa, apologies for late reply here. I just checked and saw your message. Thank you for your comments. Have you gone through your transition yet? Patience is a virtue yes but practical tools and advice helps make the waiting less stressful :)!
Loved the insights here. A word of caution. Don’t hate your job long enough so your exit plan becomes, well, not so graceful. I got fired once before I had a chance to quit. In the long run it became a blessing.
“You have an obligation to give yourself a chance.” Great little piece of wisdom.
Hi Geoff, apologies for late reply here. I just checked and saw your message. Thank you for your comments. EXCELLENT advice!! Although I did not heed it ;))! But at least, I still held it together and left on professional terms. Thank you for that little bit of wisdom and keep us posted on how you are doing with your work!